NASHVILLE – In his 20 years of life, on basketball courts and off, Xavier sophomore Quentin Goodin has never heard a player talk as constantly as teammate J.P. Macura.

His stream of consciousness isn’t nasty, mean-spirited, or even thorough, Goodin said. It’s just always…well, there. White noise. The senior guard is a one-man welcome wagon who wants to chat up his opponents, or if it’s practice, his teammates. He isn’t choosy.

“J.P. never shuts up. Let’s just get that thing through. He may look like he’s saying nothing, but you best believe he’s saying something, whether it’s positive or he’s trying to relate the message from the coach. Doesn’t matter. J.P.’s always talking,” Goodin said, laughing.

During top-seeded Xavier’s 102-83 defeat of 16th-seeded Texas Southern in a marathon NCAA Tournament first-round game Friday at Bridgestone Arena, Macura scored a career-high 29 points and practically auditioned for a talk show along...